October 31, 2007

Junior Pan American Diving Championships start Thursday 

INDIANAPOLIS – Twenty-four of the United States’ top junior divers are in Puerto Rico, where the Junior Pan American Diving Championships will be held November 1-4 in San Juan. Divers were selected based on results at the 2007 Speedo Junior National Championships.

The team features two gold medalists and four other medalists from the 2005 Junior Pan Am Championships.

Kristian Ipsen (Clayton, Calif.) won gold on 1-meter and platform and added a silver on 3-meter in 2005. A year later, he won gold on 1-meter and bronze on 3-meter at the FINA Junior World Championships. Ipsen swept the 14-15 age group at the 2007 junior nationals, giving him 11 career junior national titles after winning the three 2007 titles by an average of 87 points. Ipsen also placed eighth on 3-meter at the 2007 Kaiser Permanente National Championships, making him the youngest male diver to qualify for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Diving so far.

Kassidy Cook (The Woodlands, Texas) swept her age group at the 2005 Junior Pan Am Championships, winning gold on 1-meter, 3-meter and platform. She will go for more gold on 1-meter and 3-meter in her new age group after winning both those events in the 12-13 division at the 2007 junior nationals.

Other 2005 medalists on the 2007 team include two of Cook’s Woodlands Diving Academy teammates. Kaylea Arnett (Spring, Texas) won bronze on 3-meter and platform two years ago and will dive all three events this year. She won 1-meter and was second on both 3-meter and platform at the 2007 junior nationals. Drew Livingston (The Woodlands, Texas) won silver on platform and bronze on 3-meter in 2005 and has qualified for those same events in 2007 after winning 3-meter and taking second on platform at junior nationals.

Abby Johnston (Durham, N.C.) and Wallace Layland (Orlando, Fla.) round out the returning medalists. Johnston won silver on 3-meter and bronze on 1-meter, and Layland earned bronze on platform in 2005. Johnston and Layland both have qualified on 1-meter and 3-meter for the Junior Pan Ams.

Andrew Cramer (Indianapolis, Ind.) and Connor Kuremsky (Wexford, Pa.) also competed in 2005.

2007 USA Diving Junior Pan American Championship Team
Kaylea Arnett (Spring, Texas)
Sarah Bacon (Indianapolis, Ind.)
David Bonuchi (Columbia, Mo.)
Michelle Cabassol (Montgomery, Texas)
Bradley Christensen (Southlake, Texas)
Kassidy Cook (The Woodlands, Texas)
Andrew Cramer (Indianapolis, Ind.)
Vennie Dantin (Conroe, Texas)
Joseph Dowd (Orlando, Fla.)
Dashiell Enos (Studio City, Calif.)
Loren Figueroa (Kingwood, Texas)
Ryan Helms (Moultrie, Ga.)
Lillian Hinrichs (Lincoln, Neb.)
Michael Hixon (Amherst, Mass.)
Kristian Ipsen (Clayton, Calif.)
Victoria Ishimatsu (Seal Beach, Calif.)
Steele Johnson (Carmel, Ind.)
Abby Johnston (Durham, N.C.)
Harrison Jones (Spring, Texas)
Connor Kuremsky (Wexford, Pa.)
Wallace Layland (Orlando, Fla.)
Annika Lenz (Altadena, Calif.)
Drew Livingston (The Woodlands, Texas)
Olivia Rosendahl (Los Angeles, Calif.)

Coaches: Bob Gunter, Oleg Andriyuk, Sean McCarthy, Eric Barnes, Wendy Lerew
Team Leaders: Russ Bertram, Mandy Hixon

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